Sibley Bike moves to University Depot

Dan Kueny inspects a pile of scrap metal with "Downtown" Dave Blessing

The Sibley Bike Depot is moving to new digs on University Avenue. After a summer of indecision, we secured a retail space on the block between Grotto and St. Albans Street. On Saturday I helped to disassemble bikes, load trailers, and most importantly take photos to document this historical event.

When I wasn't working, which was most of the time, I took "test rides" on children's bikes and low-riders. They're not so good for the road, but they're a lot of fun in the parking lot.

Citizen Police Academy: week 2

Hooker Tracks, originally uploaded by telethon.

Last time we learned--among other things--about St. Paul's historic bicycle patrol. This week we met a modern-day bike cop who told us stories about riding through the skyways of downtown St. Paul and hiding in plain sight on the streets. People don't see bikes. That extends to criminals and to bicycle police, who can ride up and apprehend bad guys before they can resolve the mental discrepancy of an officer who's not in a squad car.

Fun facts about the Ramsey County Emergency Communication Center (ECC):

• A telecommunicator can take 400 calls in an 8-hour shift (that's 50 calls per hour!)
  
• They can track a cell phone signal from the tower to within 50 meters of the calling phone.
  
• Noise complaints are the lowest call priority. For example, if you report a barking dog, they will wait 75 minutes to dispatch. The dog's probably not going to be barking any more by then. Our presenter said that they don't get many of these complaints.

The highlight of my evening was an undercover Vice officer. Because some details had already appeared in the newspaper, he was able to talk about a recent case involving a prostitute named "Fancy." Myth busted: if you ask a cop if he's a cop, he CAN lie to you and say that he's not a cop. This is not entrapment. You will still be arrested if you sell him drugs or whatever. Stoners beware.

The most entertaining part of class was question and comment time. One of our classmates, apropos of nothing, told the bike cop that women don't like riding bikes. A woman tried to ask the ECC speaker something about squad cars connecting to satellites and calling other countries, except nobody could figure out what the question was.

The same lady also seemed to ask the Vice cop if he could remove prostitution from the Internet. He looked somewhat confused, but answered, "no, we can't do that."

"Well, you should," she said under her breath.

Citizen Police Academy: week 1

Saint Paul Police Bicycle Patrol outside T.C. Borg Cycle House (1897)

Starting this week, my wife and I are attending the St. Paul P.D. Citizen Police Academy. It's a free (taxpayer-funded), 11-week class, "to educate the citizens of Saint Paul with the operation of their police department."

Day one was introductions and the history of the department. We started with a speech by the chief. He is obviously passionate about his job, and proud of his department. I learned that the St. Paul police are the best in the world, but also, they are people like you and I.

Each week I'll be posting our experiences as we learn more about what these men and women do every day.

Calecia Biker in Lowrider issue #1

page 22, originally uploaded by Iowahawk Blog.

Lowrider bicycles are making a comeback, but they don't build 'em like they used to. Here is an original model from the first ever print issue of Lowrider Magazine. I love how his saddle is practically scraping the whitewall tires, about one foot off the ground. Also, nice hat!

The IowaHawk blog has more scans, but sadly, this is the only bike-related photo.

Bicycle-lawnmower hybrids

Look at the list of ingenious pedal-powered mowers on treehugger.com. Some of these contraptions remind me of the mutant bikes made by chopper clubs like Black Label and the Rat Patrol. In fact the "Suburban Intruder" pictured above was put together by Cyclecide, whose crazy creations never fail to impress.

Sadly, our urban yard is far too small to justify a riding mower of any kind, whether manual or run on gasoline. I did consider buying a modern reel mower. If only our home's previous owner hadn't left behind a perfectly good Toro, that's probably what I'd be using now.

Winnowing the fleet

The fixie is what did it. I finally went a bike too far, and we discovered the breaking point. For two people, one of whom does not ride bikes, seven bicycles is too many (that's not even counting the 3-speed, which I sold to a Lake Pepin rider earlier this year). It was time to purge.

My first bicycle to be sold was the black Bianchi Strada that has brought me so many Google search hits. It was an awesome commuter when I lived in St. Paul and worked in Roseville. It carried me 13 miles north and 13 miles back, uphill both ways, in rain and sun and snow. But I didn't ride it even once during the past year, assuring its demise.

I simply have no use for a commuter bike any more. I was so close to my last job that I walked back and forth almost every day, a luxury that I savored. My new office is so far away that a motorcycle is the only practical choice for two-wheeled transportation. Maybe after we sell some more bicycles, I can clear enough space in the garage to fit a nice 250...

Grand Prix report

The big event kicked off with St. Paul criterions last night. I biked to work so that I could head straight down for the start of the womens' race. Traffic into the city was messed up from having seven blocks roped off, which is approximately half of downtown St. Paul. This provided an opportunity to practice urban cycling as I wove between stopped cars.

The crowd at the actual event was sparse. It's a shame; I bet most of the condo-dwellers didn't even know that it was going on.

race photos by Matt Moses

Local blogging celebrities were out in force. Matt was acting as a crossing guard volunteer and taking digital photos of gentlemen in classy hats. I mention this (bloggers, not the hats) for a reason. As a member of the ranks of "influential cycling community bloggers" (yes I am), I was offered press access to the event. What did this mean for me? Lanyards and binders, biznatches!

I watched most of the men's race with John and Downtown Dave. The three of us walked the length of the course to observe from every angle. A storm was blowing in around the Twin Cities, filling the sky with dark cloud formations. It was a beautiful night to be outside. No rain fell in the city until it was all over.

The men were moving so fast that we stopped about once a minute to feel the breeze as they passed by. Potholes and manhole covers were marked with bright, double parenthesis lines, illustrating the uneven street surface. We didn't see any crashes, but they happened. Street signs and other hard objects were padded with hay bales to prevent racers from wrapping their faces around a post. The sweet country smell was cut with aromas of grilling meat and overpriced beer in plastic cups.

I missed the men's finish because I was in Mears Park talking to one of the designers from Twin Six. Twin Six is a locally-owned (Minneapolis) company producing "alternative cycling apparel." I don't have any need for a jersey, but if I did, I would wear the argyle one from Twin Six. They have t-shirts too.

These guys look pretty psyched about something

In lieu of firsthand observation, I hit the crowd for their opinions. One bystander described the womens' attire as "not tight enough." Maybe at the next race I'll use my media pass to ask a lady biker for rebuttal. Asked to comment on the action, local cycling legend Ron Storm summarized the race by saying:

"[The cyclists] were going around, and then they weren't going around any more."

Free bike, uncomfortable

I found a white Batavus bicycle on the boulevard in front of my house this morning. It's the same type of frame as my single-speed, except in much nicer condition. Other than the missing seat, nothing seems to be wrong with it. All the wires are attached, the pedals turn, the wheels spin. Lots of trash gets tossed into our yard, but why was this bike dumped here? It's a mystery.

As an urban cyclist, I know the rules that apply to abandoned bicycles: you generally leave other peoples' bikes alone, unless they're locked up and neglected over a long period of time, at which point they become eligible for salvage. But what to do about this mostly complete bike that was left unlocked and lying in the grass? In this neighborhood, if I didn't take it, then somebody else would (I have had a small vehicle stolen from this address before). I thought I could keep it safe in my garage and leave a note in case the owner came back for it. If nobody claimed the bike, it would be a good donation for the Bike Depot.

My wife commanded me to leave it where it lies. By tomorrow, it will either have been picked up by the person who left it, or gone to a new home.

Cyclecide spank bike

Everybody loves bicycle movies! This is a quickie. Last one, I promise, unless I find another good video tomorrow. Take a gander over at Cyclecide's site for more heavy pedal bike rodeo action.

Tour de France (kraftwerk)

How about another biking video?

Cyclist touring club (c. 1955)

All of a sudden, I'm drinking lots of beer and cussin' like a sailor. This could mean only one thing--it's biking season again!

Diversity has got to be the most splendid thing about cycling. I'm celebrating this variety with my recent movie selections, from the rusty rat bikes of urban bike clubs to the high gloss of professional track cycling. Today's clip captures the unique flavour of the upcoming annual Lake Pepin 3-Speed Tour. It's a short film from the British Rail film board for the promotion of English bicycle touring.

"Rugby? Who wants to go to Rugby?"

1990 Match Sprint World Championships

Rat Patrol Movie Madhouse!

St. Ratricks Day Recap With Grilled Rat, Tall Bikes And Tv Smash


Rat Patrol TV Episode II (part 1)


RPBC's Sweethearts present Dumpster Dreams 2006 (featuring male nudity!)

2007 Craftstravaganza wrap-up post part 1

Where to start? I'm still mentally unpacking all the events from last week, it was so crazy. 5,578 shoppers came to the show on Saturday. Hey, actually lots of great photos popped up on Flickr, I'll just let them speak for themselves.

I love this shot of Sarah. I think it sums up the spirit of the fair. Photo credit: sir fanceepants

Nice shot of Fantastic Toys' booth, by the man himself. I bought one of those adorable little mushrooms.

Here's one by Smiling Ram of Hazel's and Melvin's room('s booth).

BundleSass took a picture of my mom.

We took this photo of the free screen-printing workshop.

Vanessa shot footage for Etsy (photo by surlygrrrl)

Blickdicht has an armful of gerbils.

Lots of people biked down. Dancypants was there.

From The Minneapoline: Adam Turman "selling posters like produce at the market."

Rabeneick, Rad!

This bicycle is one of a pair of German 3-speeds from the 50's. The photo looks super-crappy in the preview above. Click to view the full size at a higher quality. Matt has more beautiful photos of these vintage bikes at his blog, Two Cities Two Wheels.

B.I.K.E. trailer

I just keep on bringing the bike videos. We watched this movie today at the film festival at Macalester. I paid for my whole seat, but I only used the edge. I think it's fair to say that this documentary is about many things, mostly focused around the Black Label Bike Club (which was founded right here in Minneapolis, as any fool knows). It was really well done, but it made me feel sad. Highly recommended for anyone interested in bicycle culture.